PEORIA, Ill. – The latest attempt by ousted Peoria County Auditor Jessica Thomas to stay in office until what would have been the end of her term has been denied.
25 News reports the Illinois Supreme Court has declined to hear Thomas’ appeal of a June Appellate Court ruling.
At that point, the county reportedly told Thomas her tenure in office ended as of Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.
Voters approved a measure last year to eliminate the office in favor of use of an outside auditor.
Thomas says in a statement the county is incompetent, and their decision to kick her out is illegal.
“The Illinois Supreme Court refused to review our appeal on September 27, 2023. This outcome was not unexpected as the court grants less than 5% of petitions for leave to appeal. Our argument was that Peoria County should not have the authority to remove an elected official from office before their term expires using a biased and poorly written referendum with no effective date. Unfortunately, our petition for leave to appeal was not granted. Peoria County spent over $500,000 trying to remove the elected Auditor from office before her full 4-year term expired on November 30, 2024. The County’s actions were unfair and essentially cheated the Peoria County voters. Taxpayer dollars were used to legally fight to remove the Auditor from office before her term expired. It’s unclear what the County was trying to hide and why they were in such a rush. Furthermore, the County did not follow the judicial rules of the Mandate, making it vulnerable to future litigation. Although the Mandate was set to issue on November 1, 2023, it was not certified until November 2, 2023. However, the County rushed to relieve Auditor Thomas of her duties, effective October 31, 2023, which is illegal because the County did not receive approval to take any action until November 2, 2023. The County’s incompetence may continue to cost taxpayers.” — Jessica Thomas, statement to 25 News
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